Eight Things You Need To Know from Xbox's E3 Press conference | E3 2018

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Microsoft’s Xbox press conference featured 50 new games with 18 Xbox exclusives of some description, as they kept reminding us. That’s roughly a new game every 2 minutes - whew! So, grab a cup of tea and settle down whilst we give you a rundown of the biggest highlights from the meaty event. ​

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by Helen Broutsos

​@pass_controller

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An augmented reality in Cyberpunk 2077

​Move over Halo! (Come on, that ‘Infinity’ teaser didn’t give us much to go on…) On the other hand, an outstanding trailer from Cyberpunk 2077 closed the show and gave us a world drenched in advanced technology with the threat of body modifications rejecting organic material. (Sorry Deus Ex)

Society developed a defence force named the Psycho Squad in an attempt to control the augmented hazard. On the other side of the city lies extreme poverty, with citizens so poor they turn to crime and extreme violence. Classified as the “city of dreams”, this is where players can expect to take back control. CD Projekt Red will (hopefully) be letting us at it in 2019.

Metro Exodus throws us into a post-apocalyptic Russia

Developed by 4A Games, the latest trailer for the sadly-delayed Metro Exodus gave us a closer look at the underground ruins of Moscow, in the year 2036. After the devastation of the civil war, society fell apart and it is up to you to fight back against mutated monsters, flee the Metro and lead a group of Spartan Rangers across the post-apocalyptic wasteland of Russia, in search of a new and stable life.

​Previous games have carried a lot of narrative weight with their claustrophobic environments and stunningly detailed presentation, so we’re expecting even more from Exodus. The train arrives on 22 February 2019 (subject to further delays).

We Happy Few is upping the dosage of Joy

Don’t be a downer baby. It’s been a long time coming, but it’s here. Compulsion Games released a story trailer giving us a snippet of what’s to come from We Happy Few. Microsoft announced that the studio was being acquired by Xbox, along with Playground Games (Forza Horizon), Undead Labs (State of Decay) and Ninja Theory (Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, DmC). To find out what really happened after World War 2 - and why we all need Joy - pick up We Happy Few on 10 August 2018.

The Division 2 focuses on united multiplayer

Summertime in Washington D.C. is the setting for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and the scripted banter is back! Ubisoft have a habit of showing us how “real” gamers play, and this demo was no exception. The environment offered a contrast from the first game, exploring a lush greenhouse, but just how different will the actual game be? Find out in March 2019. ​

Tiny fox hero, with a big heart; Tunic

Tunic is an action puzzle game featuring a tiny Fox hero, who seems to be eying up Yarny’s adorableness crown for this year’s show. The goal is to explore the wilderness, whilst fighting evil monsters and solving puzzles. It’s ridiculously adorable (yes, yes, we know we already said it) and could be a shoe-in with younger audiences, thanks to its use of bright colour and accessible, visual puzzle elements.

Dying Light 2 brings choices and consequences

The sequel takes place 15 years after the original game and still offers an immersive open world with the cool parkour element, but this time all choices have consequences. This means if you choose to side with factions in the city, it will affect the overall balance and dynamic of the narrative and the Techland team went to great lengths to demonstrate how significantly you could change the world with significant decisions you make, even describing the game’s setting as the “new dark ages”. Sounds jolly then...

Gears loses the ‘of War’ with revenge for Kait

Whilst there is still an intense focus on action-driven narrative, an emotional trailer for Gears 5 showcased a fragile Kait, veteran from the previous installment, who’ll be your protagonist this time - alongside some trendy bears of course. Online co-op returns, and Microsoft claims this one will be “the biggest, most beautiful Gears world ever created”, no doubt helped along by the 4K UHD resolution available on Xbox One X. Grab your lancer in 2019. 

Fallout 76 is in West Virginia

While the real goods were saved for Bethesda’s conference, Todd Howard took to the stage to bring us a sneak preview of the first gameplay trailer for Fallout 76. The date came later, but, in case you can’t wait to read our Bethesda roundup, it’s available 14th November 2018.

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Follow Pass the Controller for more coverage of E3 2018 and if you missed the Microsoft press conference, check out the video below.